Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) was established at Bangalore, India, by the Government of India under the Ministry of Defence in 1954 to meet the specialised electronic needs of the Indian defence services. Over the years, it has grown into a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-unit company servicing the needs of customers in diverse fields in India and abroad. BEL is among an elite group of public sector undertakings which have been conferred the Navratna status by the Government of India.